Maintainers Vol 13

Ishbel, I had missed your very important post. Congratulations! Another little Riders fan on the way! You are right about having a wonderful year with so many life changing events.

Well I said, I would start a book thread and got waylaid. Mainly by battleing the elements the past week. There was a 21 car pileup yesterday just down the road from where I live, so it sure is nasty out.

I think if I start the thread I will put Book chat with maintenance in brackets. I don't want to get in trouble for getting people in phase 1 confused.
Pat

Right now I am doing State of Slim. Do we all want to do the same one? I have it on my kindle which is not my favorite choice for books with recipes but so much cheaper. I also have the Art and Science on on there too. Let me know if you all have preferences.

Back to add, flipping further ahead in state of Slim, the food part is really about losing weight rather than maintaining. most people here use IP for the weight loss stage. But the book does have a balanced approach with exercise being very important.

Hello all. I was directed here by Lisa. I started P4 last week and am lost. I have no clue about how to eat and, as a result, have been following P3 mostly. I would love any help and guidance you all might have and look forward to checking in regularly in here.

Hi Everyone! Happy holiday season! I know I haven't posted in about a month. I've been fine. Went up about 3-4 pounds during the past 2 weeks when my sister was visiting and Thanksgiving holiday came and went. I enjoyed it. Now I'm back on P 1 for a few days and then I'll be careful during the next 2 weeks. This maintenance is really a continuing process. I'm going on 8 months of maintenance and am really happy about that!

Ishbel: Congrats! How wonderful! It's been an amazing year for you!

Lizzy, wow! One year!

Maile, how was Hawaii?

Epaprn, sorry to hear about your miscarriages and other challenges. Sending light and love and hugs your way.

Patns, a book thread sounds great.

Beck, congrats on a GK! Yes, they are wonderful.

Last January my daughter's MiL started IP. She was ready to have surgery but saw me and my smaller body and decided to try IP. She as lost over 75 pounds and looks fantastic! Another friend of my also began last spring and has lost ove 65 pounds. It feels really wonderful to have inspired others to stay OP and lose their weight.

I'm determined to keep this off and not regain, but I admit that it's an Ongoing effort.

I met with my coach last night....and I am up 12 lbs. I told her I was planning to do a few P1 days to help after my birthday/Thanksgiving fun days, and she told me no more than 1 P1 day per week. She also told me no messing around with extra P1 due to active TTC. She did say to follow P3 and occasionally add in a fat serving but no carbs other than breakfast. Something about needing the extra b vitamins and reg carb servings to help my mood. ( I told her I am a bit depressed due to all the stuff going on). I feel so terrible after eating any type of carb.

She gave me a good suggestion for my hot chocolate craving : 1 c almond milk and a packet of Splenda/stevia, unsweetened cocoa warmed in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. She also directed me to the Nashua site for so,e alternatives.

I still think I'm going to do a few days of P1, but all I have for food is premier protein shakes and 4 IP packets until next week. The PP shakes have a lot of protein in them!

Sarita: maintenance was explained to me as P3, but add one serving of fat with lunch (tuna with real mayo on a salad or chicken Caesar salad with real dressing and/or cheese, no croutons), and add one serving of carbs to dinner (1/2c brown rice or quinoa, 1/2 sweet potato, fruit or a slice of whole grain bread). Snacks can be cheese sticks, nuts, a piece of fruit, or a packet/shake of your choice.

Sarita: maintenance was explained to me as P3, but add one serving of fat with lunch (tuna with real mayo on a salad or chicken Caesar salad with real dressing and/or cheese, no croutons), and add one serving of carbs to dinner (1/2c brown rice or quinoa, 1/2 sweet potato, fruit or a slice of whole grain bread). Snacks can be cheese sticks, nuts, a piece of fruit, or a packet/shake of your choice.

Sarita: The above is a good description of Ph 4, I would usually save my carb for my evening snack and have fruit and greek yogurt.

I also went back in the threads as infoplease also gave a good description of Ph 4.

Quote:

I've been thinking about this a lot -- what information to give someone still in P1 that might help in maintenance, so, thanks for asking.

I think the biggest thing, is that your p1 lunch and dinner is going to become the main ingredients of your p4 lunch and dinner. So use p1 to learn both quick things to throw together and tasty things you enjoy when it comes to preparing salads, meats and vegetables. Then with p4, you are going to "enhance" lunch with a broader range of vegetables and some fat--like cheese or nuts or mayonnaise or unsweetened coconut, and your are going to "enhance" dinner with a broader range of vegetables, and perhaps a serving(!) of potato or pasta or rise or quinoa and/or fruit.

You want the mindset that things you know aren't particularly healthy--cake, ice cream, chips, etc--are only to be eaten on your fun day except for the rarest of exceptions. And if you slip, you get right back on track with the very next meal.

Plus, you'll want to think about whether you are going to keep artificial sweeteners part of your diet or not and how or if you want to transition from the IP/alternative products you have been using.

Once you move along in that direction for awhile, then you experiment with what is OK for a snack--what are still trigger foods? can you handle popcorn? a glass of wine? cheese? nuts? chocolate?

It is still going to take focus to maintain. The diet is never really "over"; it is the unbalanced diet part that has the beginning, middle and end. Maintenance is less socially isolating, but you still only have one day a week where you don't have to pay attention to what you put in your mouth (well, sort of. Because some of what you eat can make you feel sick, so you think twice.) So the "tricks" you learn in p1 for social situations--drink sparkling water with lime, it's about socializing not necessarily eating, eat before the event if appropriate--are sometimes going to be used in p4 as well.

Hopefully, you will become a big breakfast eater and enjoy the p3 breakfasts that carry over into p4. It gives you real food -- fruit! oatmeal! toast! yoghurt! -- to look forward to every day, and often keeps you full until lunch.

Last thing, start thinking about exercise if you haven't already. You'll need to think of something or a variety of somethings that you are willing to do most days (5 out of 7). You can try stuff on P1 if you keep the pace moderate to slow. Check out weight training, zumba, Les Mills, spinning, even walking or at least be thinking about the things you're going to try once you are close to or at your goal.

Read the Maintenance threads and find all of Maile's quotes and book recommendations. You'll also find some back-and-forth on meal frameworks, snack ideas, how much people do/don't exercise, vacation victories, and "stuff".

Keep pursuing your goal. You'll be a maintenance pro before you know it.

Disclaimer: I do not consider myself a maintenance pro.
This is the 3rd time I've lost over 50 lbs. P4 so far seems to be the most liveable maintenance. I have made it to the 1 year mark at least twice before (I think), so I'm shooting for the 2 year mark as my next goal. I'm currently at over 13 months (at lowest maintained weight ever!).

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Pat and Joysh: Thanks Pat, funny you should mention the riders, what gave you that idea - when we announced on facebook it was right before Grey Cup and I had a rider mat top on and VIP had his jersey and the post said "either way something big is happening for the Riders soon". I was so happy to have experienced the Grey Cup in Regina when they won...amazing The poor kid will be in rider and star wars gear I'm sure.

__________________"If you don't look after your body, where will you live?" - Kobi Yamada

"If I go back to what I was, I will be what I was. I don't want to be what I was, I want to be what I am." - Me

Ha Ishbel. I am in NE Alberta and listen to a radio station gears to the agricultural crowd. One of the young DJs is from Sask and a diehard Rider fanatic. He takes constant ribbing from the retired farmers who call in all the time to tease him and gives as much as he gets, so I hear a lot about the Riders. I am in the car a lot during the day with my job.